Sustainability strategies adopted byKenya agricultural research institute

Abstract

Sustainability is a concept that has gained prominence in the environment and natural resource management fields but in management is less heard of and practiced. While it has the general understanding of leaving to the future generation opportunities the management orientation looks at the organization ability to provide inter-generational creation of value and looks at the links an organization has with external and internal environment. This study was carried out by carrying out in depth interviews with Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARl) senior staff. The study intended to look at how KARl has tried to achieve sustainability now that there is widespread acknowledgement of the pitfalls of depending on external resources. Generally public sector organizations have depended on funds from the government and ..•. for public sector research organizations, donors have played a vital role in their day to day operations. However, changes in the external environment caused by the government's reduction in their budgetary support and donors shifting of their financing interests have caused a reduction in the availability of resources. Moreover, the provision of public goods has complex supply-demand dynamics, the researcher set out to look at whether KARl is trying to achieve organizational and financial sustainability and the challenges they are facing in their quest to achieve this objective. The study established that KARl has embarked on the process of achieving sustainability. Faced with difficulties in meeting their budgetary requirements and unable to predict with certainty if their resources would be forthcoming and at the same required to continue providing the services as they were required, KARl set up a department, Agricultural Research Investment Services (ARIS). This department is to spearhead efforts to improve internal revenue generation through commercialization activities and consultancy services. Intellectual property rights enforcement is another option being explored together with setting up of an endowment fund. A decentralization in asset maintenance policy was in place to ensure present assets were utilized and maintained well, measures to secure land ownership that had been lost and poised a threat to KARl's land needs were being implemented while the Kenya Agricultural Productivity Programme (KAPP), a 15-20 year agricultural research programme being implemented was to ensure building of new office blocks and laboratories in centres that have old buildiitgs. A human resource strategy was being implemented to achieve sustainable and strategic human..resource reflective of KARl's future needs while stakeholder relationships were embodied in KARl's strategic plans and nurtured through consultations. collaborations, discussions, Memorandum of Understanding (MOU's) and through Centre Research Advisory Committees (CRAC's). Clearly KARl has systematically instituted strategies to maintain their most important assets and at the same time is working to ensure in future, financial autonomy is achieved.